Alberta/Sask

We have 12 Hong Kong Veterans in our region, 6 in Calgary, 1 in
Edmonton, 1 in Cardston, 1 in Drumheller and 3 in Saskatchewan. We are
missing those who have passed away since our last convention. We do have
four Veterans in attendance, John McGee (with 20 of his family members),
Ralph Maclean, John Deardon and Doug Rees. I know for sure the rest of
them would be here if they could. They are with us in our thoughts.

We also have 11 HKVCA widows in our region. 4 of them are here this
weekend, Mary MacAuley, Isobel Saunders, Leona Kashton and Leona
Micholov.

To date we have 36 regular members who have renewed their memberships
for 2009. We have picked up a few new members because of this
convention. Many of them are here this weekend to pay tribute to
their fathers. We are still inviting family members to join our
association. Several of our members have made generous donations to the
Memorial Wall.

Over the past year we have been in communications with the The
Military Museums of Calgary. They have a 20 x 10’ Mural Mosaic at the
entrance of the Museum. We have purchased one painting in the mural for
the HKVCA. They are also setting up an interactive display which will
have information about the Battle of Hong Kong. They have a 7 hour video
interview with one of our Veterans, Gord Durrant, who passed away late
in July. The Coordinator on this project would like us to provide more
interviews and any information we can add to this display. We will be
meeting with them in September to see how we can help. The Mural Mosaic
will be available on line on The Military Museums website by the end of
August. Please check it out. They are also planning on having a display
on the Battle of Hong Kong in 2011. We are hoping to make a donation to
that project as well.

I bring warm greetings from our Region. I wish they could all be here
to see the unveiling of the Memorial Wall. We would like to extend a
special thank you to the Wall and the Convention Committees who made it
all happen.

Submitted by

Norma Fuchs
Secretary HKVCA AB/Sask Branch

Good afternoon to all the Veterans and HKVCA members!

At our last general meeting in Calgary, 2 years ago, I started my
presentation with a western Canada welcome: yahoo! My family made me
promise that I’d not do anything like that this time. Ottawa is, after
all the home of sober and somber politicians and bureaucrats where not
much exciting happens except in Question Period … so I guess a simple
"hi" is all that’s needed.

Ontario

Before I give you my report, a few "thank yous" are in order. First
to the convention organizing committee for putting together such a
splendid program. And to the Memorial Wall committee and in particular
Carol Hadley, who have worked so hard to create the wonderful monument
we will see tomorrow. And thank you to the members of our Ontario Region
executive: Mark Purcell, Lori Smith and Pat Turcotte, for their hard
work. We also have 6 area reps in Ontario whose task it is to keep in
touch with the Veterans and members in their geographic area, and I
appreciate all of their efforts in this regard. Thanks, too, to Tim
Hodkinson, our newsletter editor and Vicky Hedelius who handles our
Honour Wreath program.

Since our last general meeting we have lost ten of our Veterans.
Their loss is a painful one. We will remember them.

Let me remind you of the HKVCA’s mission statement:

Our mission is to educate all Canadians on the role of
Canada's soldiers in the Battle of Hong Kong and on the effects
of the internment of the battle’s survivors on both the soldiers
and their families. We also assist in the support and welfare of
Hong Kong veterans and their widows.

We’ve taken the "education" part of our mandate to heart in Ontario,
and I’d like to tell you a bit about what we’ve been doing since our
last meeting two years ago to fulfill the mandate.

We have focused on two areas: telling the Hong Kong story to high
school students; and engaging the Chinese-heritage community.

First, our focus on educating high school students.

At our last meeting I told you that we had obtained funding from
Veterans Affairs to produce a multimedia presentation to be used in high
school history classes. That presentation is complete, and is available
in both English and French. This is a fully scripted presentation that’s
intended to be used by our members to make it easier for you to prepare
for and deliver the Hong Kong story. It also includes material on
running a seminar for teachers to introduce them to the topic. I ran a
workshop this morning on how to use the presentation. The CD is
available free of charge to anyone. You can request it via the HKVCA web
site.

And speaking of our web site, Pat Turcotte in collaboration with Jim
Trick and Earl Gyselman, has created a "Teachers’ Zone" on our web site
that pulls together a terrific collection of materials that are of use
to high school teachers. Putting all of this information in one easy to
access location makes life easier for teachers, which can only help
improve the chances that they will include the Hong Kong story in their
curriculum. Recently, Earl has revamped the appearance and organization
of the Teachers’ Zone to make it even more useful.

You all know about the "Ten Lessons" … the excellent book of lesson
plans and resource materials for teachers which we published some years
ago, and which is now being used by some 800 teachers across Canada. We
used to charge $20 for it, which we found was sometimes an impediment to
teachers using it. We have now made that material completely free of
charge for teachers to download from our web site, which should help
alleviate the problem.

Everything I’ve talked about so far we’ve made available to everyone
across Canada. Now I’ll mention some things that are more local to
Ontario.

Each year we’ve participated in the Ontario High School History and
Social Studies Teachers Association convention in Toronto, where
hundreds of history teachers from across the province come together to
attend workshops on various topics in history.

We ran a booth at the Canadian International Military Tattoo in
Hamilton, which gave us exposure to hundreds of visitors to that event.

Our second priority in Ontario has been to build on our relationship
with the Chinese-heritage community. This was an idea that sprang from
the excellent job Alberta/Saskatchewan Region did making that connection
for the last convention.

You may be interested to know that the third most-spoken language in
Canada is Chinese (if you add both Cantonese and Mandarin together).
There are tens of thousands of Canadians who emigrated from Hong Kong or
who are descendents of Hong Kong immigrants. Most of them are not aware
that Canadians and Hong Kongers fought side by side against a common
enemy. When they hear about it, they are fascinated, and are keen to
learn more.

Last fall we participated in a public seminar at the University of
Toronto’s Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library. George MacDonell
and Flash Clayton spoke, and Ken Skelton mounted a fantastic display of
memorabilia that stayed in the library for several months and was seen
by a very large number of people.

Around Remembrance Day last year we participated in a terrific
remembrance ceremony and concert at the Scarborough Chinese Baptist
Church dedicated to the Hong Kong Veterans. We received $500 in
donations to the Wall at that event.

Pat Turcotte and Bud Mann and several other HKVCA members spent a
weekend at one of Toronto’s enormous Chinese malls, talking to people
and handing out flyers about the Hong Kong story. They were helped out
by volunteers from the Royal Hong Kong Regiment and several students
from a local high school who were able to tell our story in Chinese to
many of the passers-by. In addition to the educational value, they
collected over $900 in donations to the Wall!

Just last Saturday we held our most significant event yet: the Let
There Be Peace on Earth Concert in Toronto. Over 700 people attended a
fabulous concert by the Hong Kong Children’s Symphony Orchestra, and we
raised $15,000 for the HKVCA! Even more, we received a significant
amount of media coverage, primarily in the Chinese-language media. In
conjunction with the concert, CBC radio interviewed George MacDonell,
and that interview was broadcast last Friday in Toronto and is being
rebroadcast across Ontario today.

You will get a chance to hear this very talented orchestra tomorrow
afternoon at the War Museum. I encourage every one of you to attend. Not
just because it will be a terrific musical experience, but also as a
show of appreciation to these young people who travelled all the way
here from Hong Kong - at their own expense, I might add - to commemorate
the Hong Kong Veterans and help raise money for us.

The second part of the HKVCA mandate is "to assist in the support and
welfare of Hong Kong Veterans and their widows".

As I mentioned at the outset, our Area Reps do a fantastic job of
staying in touch with the Vets and widows, and don’t hesitate to bring
forward any issues that arise. We also held a number of luncheons across
the province so our members could get together, and hear about the
goings-on in the HKVCA and reminisce a little.

We have a program we call the "Honour Wreath". As a token of our
respect, when a Veteran passes away we provide a wreath to his family
for the funeral (if we can get it there in time), which the family keeps
and can use at his grave or the local cenotaph or other commemorative
occasions.

I don’t have enough time to tell you more, but I hope you can see
that in Ontario we’re very focused on executing the HKVCA’s mission.

We do have some challenges, though.

First, we need to continue our fundraising efforts. All of our focus
right now is on raising money for the Wall. But once that hurdle has
been overcome we can’t just stop. Our association can’t survive on the
$15 per year we all pay in dues. To carry out our education mandate
properly takes money, and that can only come from a continuing program
to bring in funds.

Second, our membership is declining in some regions … in Ontario it
is stagnant. To continue our work we need to bring in new members, and
this means engaging the younger generation. And we need to find ways to
keep families involved in the HKVCA once the Veteran passes away.

And finally, we need more members to volunteer to help carry out our
mandate. There are lots of challenging and fulfilling jobs to be done in
the HKVCA, but very few members who are actually engaged in doing them.
In particular, we need for the grandchildren of the Vets to step up to
helping out.

If you have creative ideas on how to deal with these challenges, please
bring them forward!

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s unveiling ceremony and to the
concert and gala. Have a great convention weekend!

Respectfully submitted,
Mike Babin
Regional Director, Ontario

Quebec

Greetings from Quebec to all our Veterans, Widows,
Members, Board of Directors and Guests

Since our last Convention 2007 in Calgary things
continue to be busy. Sadly we are loosing many veterans, widows and
friends of the Association. They will be sadly missed "We will remember
them"

Throughout the year we hold two or three executive
meetings, extras if the need arises and once a year we hold a
joint-executive meeting with our Veterans.

We attend the monthly BOD on-line meetings for
discussions for the welfare of our Veterans and our Association.

Each November, we attend our local Commemorative
Ceremonies and deposit a wreath in memory of all our fallen HK Veterans.

Four times per year, QC Region keeps our local
members and a few guests from other regions informed on the local news
with the publication of "The Torch".

August 14-17, 2008, we held our bi-annual reunion in
Granby. The weather was just beautiful. Five Veterans, five Widows,
family members, friends of the Hong Kong Family, guests from Manitoba,
Ontario as well as QC were present for the banquet dinner. This was time
to renew old friendships and make new ones.

On Friday we held our joint general meeting with the
usual Opening Ceremony, reports and the results of the regional
elections. All members of the executive were re-elected to their chair.
All this was followed by a social evening.

Saturday morning 55 people were present for our
Commemorative Ceremony and laying of the HK Veteran, HKVCA and Widows’
wreath followed by the deposit, by each Veteran present, of a small
Canadian flag for each QC Region HKV and one for all other HKV deceased
since our last reunion.

Our membership, like many other regions is having
growing pains. We have our ups and downs but, we are holding our heads
above water.

Financially QC Region is in a fair situation. We have
a great group of members and friends how help our region with their
donations. For this we thank them all very sincerely.

"C" Force Memorial Wall. After a long overdue time
our Veterans will have their Monument thanks to the great efforts and
hard work of the Wall Committee and the generous donations of many
veterans, members, families, regions, private and corporations. QC
region made a donation to the Wall and also a loan to the National
Committee to help finance the extra rising costs involved in the
completion of this Memorial.

This lasting tribute will be there in memory of their
great sacrifices in war, as POW’s and later in their lives.

In May 2009, we attended the Royal Canadian Legion QC
Command bi-annual Convention in Granby. As always this was a good
experience and a nice way to keep up with the changes for our veterans
and widows’ welfare.

On July 1st 2009 in Montreal we attended
the Canada Day Ceremonies including the oath Ceremony of our new
Canadians.

August 6, 7th 2009, we were special
guests, Marcel Mondou first Vice represented the Veterans, to meet the
athletes and for the Opening Ceremony of the Dominion Command 33rd
Legion Canadian National Youth Athletic Championships in Sherbrooke.

As mentioned many times, "our youth are beautiful"
and they want to know more about the war. After watching a short clip on
the Juno Beach massacre and the following standing ovation to the
Veterans, they were asking questions to the Veterans while they were
shaking their hands and even patting their backs. It was serious and yet
very emotional to watch them.

The QC organisation recently invited Irene Dallain,
wife of Jean Paul Dallain to be our correspondent from the Gaspee Coast,
which she graciously accepted. Thank you Irene and welcome on the team.

All in all we will continue to be there for our
Veterans and Widows.

There are always new projects to think about and
bring to life.

This is my report at this time. Hope you all have a bit of time to
renew old friendships and make new ones. This is as always a special
time for all and more so this year with the Unveiling of the Memorial
Wall.

Thank you, enjoy your weekend and have a safe trip back home, take
care and

AUREVOIR.

Submitted by: Lucette Mailloux Muir

British Columbia

I want to say that it is an honour to be here in Ottawa this weekend
to see the unveiling of the Memorial Wall. It is a great day for the
Hong Kong Veterans of Canada and the HKVCA.

The reports from our BC executive members: Murray Doull, Bev Campbell
and Lee Naylor very capably summarize all of the activities within the
HKVCA in BC since our last bi-annual convention. I am very proud of them
and all that they have accomplished during the last two years. I cannot
add anything more to their reports. They have covered it all. Thank you
- Murray, Bev and Lee for all your dedication and hard work. It is
appreciated by all of the HKVCA.

BC Region Treasurer/Membership Chair
report for 2009 HKVCA Convention

I would like to express warm greetings to all of our Hong Kong
veterans, widows, HKVCA members and guests.

At the HKVCA convention in Calgary in 2007, the National Board of
Directors established 3 immediate goals for both National and the
Regions to work toward.

The first goal was the construction of the Hong Kong Veterans’
Memorial Wall to be built in Ottawa. Fundraising was one of the main
components required in order for the Wall to become a reality. On the
floor of the Calgary Convention one of our HK vets, Aubrey Flegg,
presented our National Treasurer with a cheque for $5,000.00 from the
members of the BC Region. Many of our BC members have subsequently
stepped forward and as of July 25, 2009 have generously donated a
further $28, 299 for the Wall. The BC Region has made a further loan in
the amount of $7,000.00 in order to help ensure this important project
becomes a reality. Our Region’s contributions for the Wall as of July
26, 2009 total $40,299.00. Thank you very much to our BC members for
their dedication and commitment to the ‘C’ Force Memorial Wall.

The second goal was education. Due to the initial efforts of our
Regional Director Linda Stewart and further work by our Education Chair
Lee Naylor, the BC Region now has a very thorough and permanent display
outlining accurately the history and sacrifices of ‘C’ Force. We
initially unveiled our display at a "Tribute to our Veterans" event at
the Burnaby Village Museum on BC Day in 2008 where it was very well
received.

The third goal was membership. As of June, 2009 the BC membership
included 12 Hong Kong veterans, 39 widows and 96 regular members for a
total of 147. The National membership total for the same period was 898.
The BC membership therefore represents 16.37% of the National total. We
are hopeful these numbers will increase as we do our best to reach out
to the families of our HK vets and generally increase the awareness of
the public through education and information. Bev Campbell, the Chair of
our Phone Pal Program along with one of our regional members, Sandra
Brain, is establishing the link with the families. We are hopeful that
our educational display combined with our attendance at public events
and information brochures will generate interest and increased
membership from the public at large.

I trust that everyone will enjoy a memorable and historic weekend as
we gather to unveil the Memorial Wall and pay tribute to the Hong Kong
Veterans of Canada.

Respectfully submitted,

Murray Doull

HKVCA Treasurer/Membership Chair, BC Region

BC Region Secretary report for 2009 HKVCA Convention

Phone Pals Program Report:

The Phone Pals Program was initiated this year with Bev Campbell as
the coordinator and Sandy Brain assisting with the phone calls.
The program's aim is to keep in touch with our Veterans and Widows, let
them know that we are there for them in any way we are able to help,
also, keep them up-to-date with news from the HKVCA and, mainly, just
to have a friendly chat.

We are, at present, in contact with close to 30 HKVCA members and
look forward to keeping in touch with them.

Submitted by Bev Campbell – Secretary – BC Region.

BC Region Education Chair report for 2009 HKVCA
Convention

My Father was a Hong Kong Veteran who continued to serve in the
Canadian Army for twenty five years; I in turn served in the Canadian
Armed Forces for over twenty seven years. This past experience has
given me much more insight into the organization of "C" Force, the
Battle for Hong Kong and the ill treatment of our POW's. I have
been researching the Battle of Hong Kong for a number of years gathering
numerous books, pictures, videos, documents, material, and memorabilia
for lecture and slide show presentations on my own prior to accepting
the education chair position for the BC Region. Linda Stewart,
last year put together an excellent display for the events and
presentation purposes.

I am continuing to work very hard on putting together a presentation
for adults. Recently I received the new Ontario presentation from Mike
Babin, it is excellent for the school system and I plan to add more
information to the CD. In regards to the presentation in the
school system, I am planning to liaise with school teachers in the BC
Region for the purpose of having this subject become part of their
curriculum. At the moment I have been in contact with Graeme
Stacey, a school teacher in West Bank who does teach the subject as part
of their school curriculum, Graeme informed me that he would list
information in regards to the HKVCA on the teacher's web site on my
behalf.

During a past Legion meeting, I had spoken with the Zone President
for the Legions in the BC Region and plan to lecture at their different
locations in the near future. It has also come to my attention to
lecture at the different Cadet Corps in the region.

Since taking on the education chair for the BC Region, the position
has become much more than one had expected, past interviews with
veterans which have passed away, were recorded on tap. I have been busy
transferring these tapes to CDs for the wives and family members of the
deceased. Arrangements have been made for further interviews with
our veterans which is extremely important for my research. "Every
Soldier has his own story to tell."

At our annual Luncheon in Vancouver I quickly put together a small
slide show for the first time to see how it would go over. At the
end of the presentation I stated that each soldier has his own story to
put forward. Family members came forward and volunteered
information on their husband and Father which I am pleased to add to my
files for research material and reference.

Let me also state that I am extremely honoured to have as part of my
badge display, "Captain Uriah Laite's," Regimental Chaplain to the
Winnipeg Grenadiers, cap badge. After the luncheon in Vancouver
Captain Laites's daughter, Florence Hughes had offered me her Father's
cap badge for the display.

On August 9, 2009 I will be representing the HKVCA at the Celebration
of Life for Thomas P. Jackson Royal Army Service Corps. Tom was
and had been a member of the Hong Kong Veterans of Canada.

My Mother and I are looking forward to the unveiling of the Memorial
Wall activities and meeting people in person that have been most helpful
with correspondence and my research.